Vegan News: Before You Uncork That Bottle Of Pinot Blanc
We all love a nice relaxing glass of vino every now and again. But if you are an avid vegan AND a wine enthusiast, like myself, this is one vegan news story you are going to want to hear. Whether you prefer drinking a glass of wine at the end of a long day, or using it in your favorite vegan dishes, know that your wine may not be as vegan as you would like to think.To the most educated and cautious vegans this comes as a huge surprise because most of us spend a lot of time reading, researching and ensuring we know exactly what we are consuming. And, wine? It’s hard to understand how something like wine could possibly not be vegan.
Although some of us have been enjoying our wine without a clue that we may be going against what we believe in most, others have been spending their time looking into the matter of vegan wines. Consequently this has become quite a hot vegan topic.
So how exactly can wine not be vegan? The problem has to do with the process of fining which is used on some wines when they are too tannic. Before a wine is considered “finished,” it must not to be too tannic. In order to deal with this, winemakers often use fining agents such as milk casein and egg whites. A lot of vegan wine lovers are unaware that the process of making wine involves the use of something they are so adamantly opposed to.
Fortunately, there are vegan wine options available. There are plenty of vegan-designated online merchants, such as Vegan Essentials and Vegan Village, and most supermarkets offer some vegan wines in their selections.
In order to ensure that the wine you’re drinking is vegan, you need to be extra cautious. As Tim Ensign, Oregon manager for Mountain Peoples’ Organic Wine & Beer Distributing puts it, “There is a vegan certification but I don’t think any wineries do it.” This basically means that you are not always going to be able to tell for sure whether or not a bottle of wine is completely vegan, even if you are proactive and read the labels first.
Check around your local area for wineries that adhere to strict vegan winemaking practices, so you know exactly what you are getting in that next bottle of wine. Or take things one step further and start making your own wine at home. With a wine making kit and all the ingredients you actually want in your wine, you are good to go.
Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1013937
So frustrating that it is not labeled as such on the bottle! I LOVE my wine…I will have to do my homework!
Or you could just go to http://www.barnivore.com.